Found
by Kouen-Koji
Summary: How do you continue with life when everything you held dear has been taken away? What is worth living for? Enkai believes he has found something....but everyone knows you can't bring back the dead... OCxOC With appearences by your favorite Naruto characte
1. Chapter 1: Intro

waves Hello everyone, this is the beginning of an on-going story created by me and my aniki. We hope you enjoy it and we encourage feedback. Thank you!

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say? All the characters in this chapter are original and our own.

It was quiet…same as every day before this one. The only thing that separated this day from any other was the steadily increasing river of blood slowly flowed through the village…staining the dirt paths with its coppery scent, driving even the crows away. Those that indulged their gullets on the rotting corpses of the once living, and whose last meal was taken only two months prior when they were offered the bodies of three innocents.

Oh how they gorged themselves that day. Taking the path of the known vulture and tearing apart every piece of flesh that reached their crooked beaks. They were mindless and uncaring as they plunged their beaks into the still warm flesh of a young girl, never having reached the age of 7. The gentle wafts of the steaming flesh beckoned them closer like an alluring perfume and they wet their beaks with rounded tongues and eagerly heed the call of a meal.

They settled close to the opening of her throat for easy access to still bleeding meat inside. Black feathers she once though beautiful lost their luster in the rain of blood that splattered against them with each quick pull from their beaks.

She felt sick.

Even now, remembering how they greedily guzzled down their meal of human flesh…. her family.

Crimson tears ran down her cheeks, mingling with the splattered droplets that stained her pale, cut cheeks and began to turn to a dead brown. She didn't seem to mind though, but nothing bothered her anymore. Not after this. What was there to care for? What meaning did her life have?

Her body slowly rose and fell, trembling with each staggering, heavy breath as though the very act was killing her. Which in truth, it was.

She remained idle for the full part of three days, never moving from the sight of the carnage. Not even her eyes averted from the scene nightmarish scene. Those once bright gold suns, so full of life and excitement, turned dull and bronze, laden with only sorrow and the glint of a bittersweet satisfaction. They lowered only a fraction to the clenched, bloodied fist still clutching tightly to the broken katana. Her knuckles were pale and turned raw with missing flecks of skin down to the back of her hand. Numerous marks of desperate clawing and struggling graced her arms, running up to her shoulders and around her neck…especially her neck. Some very gifted with long arms to reach the exposed throat, but still they couldn't get themselves free. It almost made her sad.

Almost.

Those bronze eyes closed finally followed by another heavy breath and a tremor from her body. It slumped a bit, as the weight of the foreign blood was too much to hold up for such a long time…but her body wouldn't move further. A single strand of white hair slipped forward, gently caressing her face before it ceased its gesture and lay still. Then a second fell. And a third, before the entire curtain of silvery white bangs slipped down to conceal her face, accompanied with a dark blue sheet running down her back and over her shoulder.

Night was dawning over the village once again, and still she didn't move. Not even as the lightning flashed overhead and the clouds began to gather. Not when the wind came in more powerful gusts joined with a chilling wind that bit through her fragile and pale skin bitterly to the bone. Not even when her own tears began to mingle with the crimson streams down her face. All the while she remained still…motionless. Dead to the world.

_Just like them…_

All that was heard was the silent utter of, "Why?"

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A week had passed for the little village shrouded in snow. The crimson rivers that once stained the streets were lost under the many feet of tightly packed snow, giving the illusion of a pure landscape with nothing to taint its innocence, except for the few drops of red adding a bit of color. Soft shuffled footsteps were the only sounds being made in the village common. People began to creep out of their homes with a paranoid caution, looking over their shoulders to one another with every step as they gathered together like a herd of mindless cattle. She was disgusted. How could such creatures be allowed to live? Relying solely on the actions of another before their own was to be made. That was how the attacked the first time. Following one and then another and another and another, until the entire village was in an uproar and racing to the small home on the outskirts of town.

It was a quaint house, no larger then the size of a small farmhouse, and oddly enough, it was painted the colors of a traditional home: a fading red and a pale off-white. In the front next to the porch was a small garden trying to flower in the hard, partially frozen soil, but they managed somehow to bud, and that was all. No other life adorned the yard…no trees, nothing. If it wasn't for the greenery, a few sprouts of grass, it could have been mistaken for a graveyard, the silence was truly deafening to the ears. Why her parents decided to settle here, she didn't know. It had always been a mystery.

Walking toward it, with a few tendrils of silver hair stained in red as well as the rest of her person, tears began to well up in her dull golden eyes with each stiff, aching step. How did it come to this? She often asked herself. What had she done for her life to be changed in such a way…all she wanted was to be acknowledged, just like her elder brothers who went off to become fine warriors for the village. True shinobi the village was proud of. Every time she and her younger siblings would venture through the village common retrieving goods their mother had asked of them, they would here the news of their brother's triumphs in lands far away. ANBU they were called. An elite group of ninja sent to perform dangerous missions for their country's leader. There was always that chance that they would never return, but somehow, they always escaped the jaws of death and came out victorious even in the most dangerous of missions. They were the true pride of the village hidden in snow.

The young woman came to rest at the base of a dying tree. Its branches hung low, dipping into the river that ran along her home, slowly wavering with and against its flow. She was always at peace here and would often spend hours just staring at its glassy surface lost in thought. Her little brothers and sister would run to her in the late afternoon of the day after all the chores were done and ask what she was thinking of.

"Nee-Chan," the smallest would ask with an adorable smile while she tugged on her sister's arm for attention. "Kouen nee-chan, what are you thinking about?" her "k" always sounded much like a "g" making the elder sister laugh all the time.

"Well little one," she would say, "I'm thinking of our brothers…" and then the twins would smile brightly. Their grey/green eyes would light up and suddenly became more alert.

They would ask in unison, "Have you heard from them yet? Are they ok?" And then Kouen would ruffle their long stringy black mops of hair and shake her head.

"I'm sorry boys…there hasn't been word, but I'm sure they are fine." That always seemed to tide them over, and then took to harassing their sister again in mock fights and chasing her along the riverside. Then of course, the other sister would take charge and chase them down instead, claiming in laughter that if she caught them they would be forced to do her chores for a week.

She always won. Her speed would greatly outmatch theirs, always leaving the boys stunned with awe.

Wanting to know the secret to her speed, they approached her one day and asked with shy voices, "Nee-Chan, how you do that? You're fast like our aniki-kun."

At first she was unsure of how to answer. Was she to tell them that as they slept late in the night she would sneak out the house and travel deep into the white woods to train? That she pushed herself to the very point of breaking even with the simplest of training she had seen her brothers do during their time here? Should she tell them that she spent all of her time at night pushing to be like her brothers? To be as good as they are? So many thoughts ran through her mind over such a simple question. So many chances to escape with a simple, "I don't know." But then, she was never one to take the easy way out, even over something so small. So she set the boys aside and told them honestly, "I train at night, while you sleep. I got out and teach myself the same way our brothers used to. I try to be like them."

This in turn, confused the adolescents. "Why do you want to be like them? You're fine being you."

A smile was brought to her face at these words. They were so young, and didn't understand the means of self-improvement. Perhaps they would understand…"You will understand one day," she assured, "when you've grown up a little more and have desires of your own to be "the best". Just you wait." And she tapped them both lightly on the nose sending them into fits of laughter.

But sadly, they never understood, for a mere 3 months later, they were killed. Blades were placed at their throats and tore into them as they stared at her screaming for her help, but how could she…when she was dying herself. She watched as the same village that praised and marveled at her brothers so much slaughtered them.

Kouen looked into the river still heavy with the villager's blood to peer into the eyes of the monster they screamed and accused her of being. She truly had turned into what they claimed her to be. As she stared at her form, eyes drifting over the blood obscuring her face from sight, the dried blood solidified on her upper robe, which had been torn at the collar down to her left side. She barely noticed it had been ripped clean to her skin allowing for the still bleeding slashes across her abdomen to be exposed to the open air. Her entire left side was caked with a mix of her own and other's blood. The smell was beyond repulsive, but she didn't so much as flinch against the stench. Her hair was stiff with the hard crimson in odd places making the shorter strands stand at odd angles amongst the black and blue curtain of that which was pulled back. The lower half of the robe was completely torn free revealing her shapely legs littered with scratches ranging from small hair thin marks to deep gashes and even portions of missing flesh.

They had put quite a struggle up against her. That much was certain. As she stared at the damage done, Kouen began to feel the weight of the injuries and heavy amounts of blood loss take affect, reducing her to an immobile pile lying at the river's edge. As the darkness began to cloud her vision, she let her body grew loose, releasing what little energy she used to move. Her eyes fluttered shut just as the first drop of rain fell onto her cheek.

Overhead, the clouds gathered rapidly, highly unusual for a day was that was moments ago clear and without a cloud in sight. Yet stranger still, the clouds only gathered in one area, just above the river. With the heavy clouds came the brief flashes of light rolls across them in rapid succession. One right after the other, but not thunder was sounded. Finally the lightning stopped all together as more drops of rain followed the first, cascading in a thin sheet around her just as thin, misshapen bolts of lightning struck the ground close to her, but never touching her. More like a barrier than a means of an attack. Seemingly unknowing of what was going on, Kouen slept on, her face contorted in a frown of internal pain. The hole in her stomach and gashes on her side ceased to bleed and was slowly beginning to heal, but the loss of blood was too great. If she was lucky she would be able to move later…but that was if she awakened. Oblivious to the danger her life was in, she slept.

Kouen was 19 years of age that day when she watched her family be killed. Myo and Tsuyo were 12. Mimori was 4. And the day after, Kouen took her revenge over the innocent lives taken the day and became 20.

**---**

**Three years ago…**

The moon broke thought the clouds, its light shown over the whole of a small village, it was silent, serine and peaceful. The light beamed down in through the window of a small room illuminating it, the image of a man and woman laying near-sleep in a bed comes into view. It was nights like this, so peaceful and quiet, that he would lay awake are watch her sleep. Nights like this that he was taken in by her beauty, and would simply marvel at her as she lay next to him.

She lay next to him, her arms wrapped around him and her head lying atop his bare chest. His slow breathes and steady heartbeat relaxed her, she loved nights like this, nights she could just lay with him and feel safe.

Nights like tonight where few and far between for the two, rarely were they so fortunate to both be on leave and not have suffered some grave injuries, so nights like this where cherished by both. He reached over and gently strokes her cheek, "Love… are you awake?"

She traced her fingers over his defined chest and stomach, "Yes…" she said as she shifted against him, causing a few more strands of dark hair to veil her face.

He pulled the strands from her face again; she looked up locking eyes with him and smiled, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what…?" He asked with a light smile as he bore into her eyes with his own icy orbs

She gently hit his chest, "That… you're staring at me again." She said with a hint of playful glee in her voice as she slid up on the bed and sitting with her back flush to the headboard.

"I can't help it… It's not my fault I love you woman." He teased with a large grin gracing his lips while propping himself up onto his elbows.

She leaned forwards and stole a quick kiss from him, then taking his hand she interlocked her fingers with his. "Yes it is… It is completely your fault." She teased with a playful smile as she looked into his eyes once again.

He looked down at her had in his and squeezed lightly, "Karie…" his voice was suddenly serious. He sat up next to her and quickly wrapped his arms around her. He gently pulled the woman over sitting her in front of him so her back rested against his chest and he leaned against the headboard holding her tightly.

His rubbed the back of his hand against her cheek then it slowly began to slid down her neck and across her chest, "I love you Karie, and I will always be here…" his hand moved further down her light frame and came to rest on his love's taunt stomach, "For both of you…" He used his free hand to turn her head to the side and he leaned forward and took her lips with his own.

She gladly accepted his kiss, slowly turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to the bed with her. She broke their kiss for a moment, "I love you too, Enkai, and I know you will be here…" She placed her hand on her own stomach, "For both of us." She smiled weakly and wrapped her arm back around the man's neck to pull him back to her.

One of her hands slid free from its lock around the large male's neck and it began to glide over the muscles of his back, around to his chest and stomach and lower. He smiled against her lip in response to her advances, holding himself above her one a single elbow his free hand began to wander over her body… there was a knock at the door and both froze.

The couple cursed to themselves, they must have been hearing things, who would need them at this hour? Another knock came, both silently prayed that their visitor would simply lose interest and leave, but they would not be so lucky this night. After several minutes of unanswered prayers and reluctant to leave his love's arms, Enkai stood up from the bed donned a loose pair of pants and answered the door. To their displeasure, a man clad in the traditional ANBU garb held out a scroll the moment the door opened. "You are summoned," was all he said. Enkai sighed and took the scroll, opening it and reading its contents. He nearly shouted. The Kage was giving them another mission on what was supposed to be their day off. He dismissed their messenger and took the scroll back to their room and handed it to his love for her to read. Her face changed to the same upset and annoyed look he held.

"When do we leave?" she asked quietly, and as if to answer the question, a tremendous howl was heard not too far off, almost like the sound of a beast in pain.

Their mission. Glaring hard at the scroll for a second, the pair ran to retrieve their gear... honestly of all days why today? An abundant supply of double edged kunai and large shuriken, sized larger than the man's hand. Each had a long katana strapped to their hip along with their equipment and a few small scrolls, just in case. Both adorned masks of a similar shape; the woman's was in the shape of a wolf tinted blue with a single stripe under it's left eye while the man's was also in the shape of a wolf, but fangs lined where the mouth should be and had multiply scratch marks over the surface. Clearly he had been through many battles.

Before they headed back to the door, Enkai grabbed his lover gently by the arm and stared at her for the longest time. No words were exchanged between the two, only a small nod of understanding and a soft stroke of his fingers against her gloved hands. Silently they left the house to face the threat brought upon their village.

Sadly…it would be the last time they would see one another…

Somewhere in the midst of the battle, it turned for the worse. The dreaded demon of five tails, Houkou, was having her way with the village and its people. She sent her victims into a whirlwind of nightmares, flooding their thoughts of their loved ones dying grotesque and unimaginable deaths to her pleasure. She fed from the fear in their eyes and the very thoughts that lurked inside their hearts. The demon of the pure, she was called. But there was nothing pure to her intentions. Why she was bestowed that title, no one ever knew.

What had caught the village's attention aside from the demon's reign was the mass hoards of people running through the town, burning things as they went "attempting" to destroy what all the demon has touched. Their minds only held intentions of tearing apart what they believed would kill the ones they loved and cared for. It was catastrophe where ever they turned and no end could be seen.

Teams of the top shinobi in the village were ordered to take down the demon while the lesser ninja were instructed to calm down the people and break them from the illusionary nightmare before they caused more damage to themselves and the public.

One such nin ordered to stay behind in the village was Karei…Enkai's lover. But the young woman could not stand the thought of knowing that he might not come back alive. Houkou was a formidable demon and even their strongest force was no match against her or her genjutsu. She was thought to rival the very Nine-tailed demon himself, though not nearly as lust driven for blood as he. There was always a point to her carnage some believed. Other just thought she was a demon acting as all should. Either way, the change for survival was next to non existent.

It was thought to be a losing battle…

And she would be damned to let him die.

_Big mistake…_

Houkou howled with a demonic laughter at the humans' futile attempts to wound her. She had faired through a mass of their weak and strong attacks alike. The only mark to show for their fight was a single diagonal gash across her muzzle given to her by the man who's lover lay disposed on the ground. Said reckless human insisted to attack her head on with only a mind driven by rage and lust for blood and revenge for one innocent who had fallen. By a toppled tree rested a broken body bearing a child that would never be named amongst the splintered bark. Her frame was twisted around almost completely from the hip with an arm hanging by a few remaining pieces of tendon. Blood pooled in great amounts around the tree, more than what a normal human should,staining the ground to a hard, dead colored brown while a pair of darkened yellow eyes stared blankly at the gore below as another crimson tear dripped from the slitted eye.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" he screamed over and over again to the demon, unsheathing his blade for the second time then springing forward to slash at her flank. But she only laughed and swiped a massive paw to bat him away with ease. His body was flung hard against the very tree that held his love, but he couldn't dare to look at it again. Tears gathered in his eyes as he envisioned the very scene that lay next to him. His strength seemed to leave him…

What was there to fight for? The village? The very people that had sent his beloved Karei to her death? He slumped to the ground in exhaustion and helplessness. His body was soaked heavy in blood from both himself and his fallen comrades, and of course Karei. How he tried to save her…to stop the excessive bleeding. But all his healing spells were useless against something so extensive and severe. His armor had long since shattered, revealing the straps of cloth from his uniform dangling limp off his body. He could barely stand under the weight of so much stress on his body, but he forced himself to assume another attack stance and prepare to fight the beast again. If not for himself…or the village….or his fallen comrades…then for Karei.

Again Houkou laughed, baring her long, glistening fangs in his direction. She taunted him by lying down and exposing her neck in a submissive fashion. That dangerous, yet beautiful smile still plastered across her face. "Be glad child…" she spoke softly, "that I spared your life. There is no trick that I know that could bring you the pain that consumes your heart…but it brings me pleasure to see such hate and malice in your eyes." Her tails danced lazily behind her, in a calm, soothing ballad or raw power. Even Enkai was finding it difficult to stay blood thirsty as he watched them. "If you were of my kind…" she continued, "you would truly be a worthy mate."

The tails ceased their dance and raised high behind her, displaying power and authority over the human. Houkou dipped her head only slightly and met the defeated, hurt, and angry eyes of the human. "Until next time…" And like the shadows of the nightmares she conjured, she slipped away into darkness with only her haunting howl fading after.

Enkai continued to stare at the place where the demon once stood, his body reluctant to move under so many reasons; one could not count them all in a day. "Karei…" He whispered to his love, yet still would not gaze upon her. His voice was broken and raspy, holding back the cry trying so hard to escape, "I will join you...one day…my love…I will see you again."

Then his world turned black.


	2. Chapter 2: Karei and Kouen

Chap.2 –Found

A full day's time had passed since the body had fallen, not that anyone was counting the fleeting days. But to a stranger's eye, the body looked no different than the hundreds of other corpses littering the village common. The villagers had been slow in the cleaning while they continued to grieve the dead and knew well there was nothing they could do to bring them back. The small frame lying unmoving by the river's edge went unnoticed. A small, calloused hand fell over the edge with slender fingers dipping into the lake attached to an arm still heavily marred. The ground was charred from where the lightning had struck in random places, which had long ago subsided leaving only a heavy overcast to shadow the form. But it wasn't the only shadow present…

Another shadow loomed over the dying body curled into itself with one of its arms clutching to the stomach. It appeared in pain. The stranger's eyes roamed over the body taking in the pitiful sight without the slightest care. It paid special attention to the blood surrounding it and the hard red crust caked in its hair and all down its body.

What a mess.

The stranger's eyes caught the gently rise and fall of its crudely clad chest. Something laughed softly.

_It's still alive, _whispered the voice swirling around his mind. The strange man scoffed.

"It is a "she"," he said in a deep emotionless voice. "….and why do we care? She is dy-" he stopped himself when his eyes drifted on her face. How he failed to notice it was beyond him. Or perhaps it was because of the wisps of silver strands blocking the full view of her face. 'It couldn't be', he thought in awe. Fate was not the cruel. But then…it could be at times. He could hear the voice chuckle softly and whisper in his ear once again.

_Yes…you see her face. She looks like her… _His eyes widened.

"It's not possible. It isn't her…" he reasoned desperately, but the voice ignored him and continued.

_Are you going to let her die…again? _Another chuckle.

Again? But this wasn- His eyes widened further as the saw the body move just a little, trying to find a suitable position to die. It was just enough for him to see more of her face. The small lips opened in a small gasp of pain while her face contorted further. 'Such a face should not be marred so.' It _was_ her…he concluded. That or an uncanny resemblance. Something inside him clicked and he hastily picked up the girl, careful of her injuries. How a girl could come so close to death was beyond him...but it was enough to get him thinking of what kind of a woman she was. 'Maybe she was like her,' he wondered with a small ray of hope.

He carried the girl to the small home nearby and kicked open the door and nearly gagged at the smell. It reeked of death, like a corpse left to rot in the sun on a scorching day. It damn near made him tear.

Finding the master room was not an easy task, but it was worth it to get away from the smell. It was the only place where the scent was not present, much to his comfort. He laid the girl on the bed close to the wall and quickly removed the remaining few strips of her clothes, taking note that she was already close to naked. Such a sight was not new to him, so he didn't bother to feel shame for her indecency. Yet, he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering over the pale skin of her damaged body, not caring if he would be struck as a lecher for doing so. He uttered one word. "Beautiful."

Even with the many scars, her skin looked flawless and he couldn't stop from reaching out and lightly stroking along the exposed skin…just like he would do wi- He quickly retracted his hand and shook his head. This wasn't her, just someone that looked like her. He had to remember that. With that thought in place, he removed his outer coat and left for the river to retrieve water.

Bronze eyes slowly opened shortly after, still pained by the injuries from the rest of her body. Instinctively an arm came around to clutch the wounded area only to find that it touched bare skin. The eyes opened wider as the holder gave a small gasp of shock. She sat herself up as best she was able against the head board and looked down at herself, a small cry passed her lips. She had been stripped. Her eyes became fearful, forgetting the extremity of her injuries for a moment.

Were they still around? She asked herself and began to pull her legs together up to her chest. The action tore the wound on her stomach wider, starting the blood rush again. Kouen stifled back a whimper and hissed through her teeth. Why hadn't she died already?

Soft footsteps were heard coming swiftly down the hall toward her room. She inwardly panicked. All her weapons had been used earlier and she was now rendered defenseless. She wanted to scream. It wouldn't end like this! The steps stopped outside the door which remained ajar. What were they waiting for…for her to scream? Cry? Beg? Like hell she would. She frowned, determined. She would fight her way out of this, the girl thought with her fist clenched tightly by her sides as she waited for her attacker to enter the room.

And he did…carrying a large flask filled with water over his shoulder and the overflowing sleeve of his coat torn into long strips. He looked deep in thought as he entered and almost missed the death glare in his direction, but once he looked up, ice blue clashed with a hard yellow. He could instantly see the fear and silent determination laden within, as well as (surprisingly) anger. He froze and tilted his head to the side in question. What was she upset about, he wondered, but then his eyes cast downward and noticed she failed to cover herself.

Oh…that might explain it.

He sighed softly and continued into the room dropping the flask in the middle of the floor and stopping at the foot of the bed. The girl backed flush against the head board, not caring that she was damaging herself further by moving. The man whispered softly. "I'm not going to hurt you," and as a peaceful gesture, he offered his hand with a small smile on his lips.

Kouen stared at the rough and calloused appendage skeptically, thinking that this was some sort of joke of him wanting to take advantage of her confused and vulnerable position. She looked up, meeting his eyes once again to stare at him hard for what seemed like hours…and never once did his eyes change. They remained the calm, patient, ice blue orbs that first met hers. They were kind, she could see…but wouldn't believe. "Why?" she asked softly.

And then she cried.

Enkai panicked. Kar- This girl was crying. Perhaps it was something he did, but what did he do? His hand retracted back to his side in shock as he continued to watch her cry, dumbfounded.

"Um…w-why are you crying?" he asked in the same caring tone, but stuttered a little. Comforting was not his field of expertise. "She" had always been a strong woman who kept her emotions in check, even in the most intimate of positions, so he never saw the reason to learn. He swallowed audibly and slowly moved closer toward her, keeping close to the bed. He placed a hand down next to her before taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside her. His words came gently with a little more certainty. "I have not hurt you…and I don't plan too." He reached a hand to her again in the same gesture, this time making sure the girl understood. Tear-filled eyes looked at him instead of the hand and something inside him felt stricken. Another nervous swallow followed.

_Those eyes…_

They were too similar…but it was impossible. He knew this and repeated it over and over inside his mind, but it wasn't registering. This much was certain when he found himself mere inches away from the strange girl's lips. He stared at them greedily as if mesmerized causing her eyes to widen more. It was her turn to swallow nervously and took on what ever courage she had and placed her hands against his chest and pushed off as hard as she could. Which wasn't very strong.

That slight nudge broke him from his stupor and he shook his head quickly. 'Dammit…get it together,' he scolded himself and earned a light chuckle in response. After blinking several times the girl's image came into focus, as did the memory of why she was there and…naked. And then he felt a tinge in his stomach and lower. Now really wasn't the time.

Keeping himself calm he ordered gently, yet firmly, "Lay back."

This poor girl looked ready to cry again, but just as quickly as the fearful look filled her eyes, it was replaced with a deep anger making her dulled eyes grew colder as she gazed upon him. He fought down the involuntary shiver. "That's not what I meant," he sighed and showed her the strips of cloth. "I need you to lie down so I can work on your stomach. That's all I'll do…I promise. I won't even look," the corners of his lips turned up in a small smirk as he saw her pale cheeks take on a reddish glow of embarrassment. 'Cute.'

She stared at him for a while, not moving an inch under his gaze, nor did he move in hers. Slowly (and hesitantly) she lay back and stretched out for him to see the extent of her wound. He sighed in relief and immediately went to work.

He began by taking a kunai from the side pouch of his pants and brought it to the gaping hole of her stomach. He studied the length and width of the cut, taking in the areas were the blood had hardened over the skin and seemed to be holding parts of the wound together. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Troublesome. There was no way he would work unless he first cleaned the wound, that much was obvious. He looked up when he heard a throat clear and knew it could only be the girl's. His eyes widen. Unmoving, was a puddle of water resting in the bowl of her hand and held out toward him. He stared blankly at it for several seconds wondering why the hell she wasn't awake sooner for her to do that and save him the trouble of lugging the heavy flask back to the house from the lake. But more importantly he wanted to know- "How did you do that?" His voice faded out for a moment but came back when he cleared it. The girl blushed faintly and looked down and dropped her hand. And his eyes widened still. The water was suspended in midair just where her hand once was.

"How…"he didn't know how to word it and settled for something more important. "What is your name?" The girl looked up with the redness gone from her face and a serious look took it's placed. She looked to the floating collection of water then to the eyes of the man and said almost too silent to hear. "Kagenori…Kouen." He smiled in turn. "I am Enkai and it is nice to meet you Kagenori-san," he replied politely and began his work again, much to her pleasure.

The deep gash was delicately, but thoroughly cleaned with Enkai using one of the scraps of his sleeve as a wash cloth and using the ever refilling "floating" puddle of water. The girl's skills were interesting to say the least. When ever the water became too bloody to use again, she would place her hand under the puddle and clenched her fist causing the water to take a similar form of a tight ball. She would then spread two of her fingers apart resulting in the red mass to split into two parts, one filled tightly packed with blood and the other with water with just a little more added. Kouen would hold onto the collecting mass of blood until he finished, which during the time no words were exchanged between the two.

After a good half hour the gash could be clearly seen against the pale skin. The light pink flesh revealed made Enkai squirm uncomfortably a bit, but it didn't seem to bother the Kagenori who stared at him the entire time. The hole had to be closed, this they both knew, but they were facing a problem. They had nothing to close it with. Again the Kagenori surprised him by taking the remaining amount of water and morphing it into another useful tool. She rubbed the tips of her middle finger and thumb together causing the watery mass to thin out and roll tightly into a lengthy coil. She brought the string to her lips and blew lightly on it, a little frost formed on her lips, but she paid no mind. The coil was frozen instantly but was highly flexible just like the real thing, but the very tip of it was frozen solid. The needle point. Enkai took the hint and grabbed the thin point of the needle and pressed it against the corner of the cut. She didn't flinch and he took it as a sign and plunged the needle into her skin.

The makeshift stitches would hold she assured him, just as long as she didn't fall too deep into unconsciousness. Her ability to hold the string's form was dependant on her chakra usage, but she couldn't keep it up for a long time. She would be exhausted soon from the exertion and would need to rest. So to keep her awake while he wrapped her stomach, Enkai asked her questions about her home which she answered quietly, but without pain or remorse, just…hollow.

"My family of myself, my mother and father, and my siblings, lived in this house since my brothers were born. They left home when I was 11 to become ANBU for the village and have currently been out on a 3 year mission since their last visit home. The village praised them and loved them as their own and they loved us too. But things turned for the worse. The village…it quiet as a single, but nosy as a whole and an accident happened." She remained silent for a while and Enkai looked up from his stitching on the cut on her leg. Her eyes were becoming heavy and most likely she needed rest.

_Almost done…_

"It was my fault," he heard her whisper, more to herself than to him. "It was my fault…only mine." He watched a lone tear slip down her face and he resisted the urge to wipe it away. _This wasn't 'her'…_

"This is my punishment…" the words came out as broken and Enkai feared she would start crying again and stopped his work. "Kageno-" "Kouen," she said shortly, not liking the formality between them. He visibly flinched then corrected himself, "Kouen. I don't know what you are talking about…but I'm sure it is not your fault. You need rest."

Kouen said nothing and looked at him. (Enkai was growing annoyed with constantly being stared at.) Her eyes bore into his skeptically, but Enkai dared not to look away. He could tell that this was her way of "reading" him, to see if she could trust him with anything new. After all, he was still a stranger in her home. Finally she closed her eyes without giving him a second glance and allowed her breath to even out in a slow but steady pattern; she was asleep instantly. Enkai released the breath he didn't know he was holding and gave himself the pleasure of watching her sleep for a few moments before shedding himself of his heavy coat and stretched it out over the naked girl. He would still work on the minor wounds, but he didn't need anymore distractions.

After a long 2 hours and another torn sleeve later, the girl was bandaged, nearly from head to toe with a very tired Enkai leaning against the side of the bed for support. It had grown late and dark sooner since night approached faster in this part of the country, meaning that people would be winding down around this time. Enkai was no exception. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand to block a long yawn while an arm stretched out behind him until he was granted the satisfying crack from his joints. He shook himself loose and looked around the room for a place to sleep. And there was only one, but it was currently occupied. He sighed again. Ah well. No harm in it.

Enkai carefully reached a leg over the girl, straddling her sideways momentarily before swinging his other leg over and stretched out next to her. He lay beside her watching her as she slept, listening to the gentle ins and outs of her breath and watching the slow rise a fall of her chest. He found it hard not to move his head closer to her chest, faintly hearing the steady beat of her heart. _'It's not her…but you wish her to be…' _surfaced a low and compassionate voice. It too held the pain he felt. 'I know….but…it cant hurt,' he countered while moving his head closer and lifted it up just a little then placed it to rest between the valley of her breast hidden by the coat. He closed his eyes and indulged in the rhythm of her heartbeat. His own breathing evened out as sleep overtook him in a moment's notice.

The bronze eyes that watched him finally closed again as well, falling into a real sleep not haunted by their faces.

_'It wasn't your fault,' he said, causing the person below him to look up. His head still remained on the source of warmth with his body reluctant to move. "I know it's not, but I should have done something. I should have fought harder." His head buried deeper. His companion sighed and knelt down next to him. 'And you think she would have been happy with knowing that you selfishly gave away your life?' There was a fire in his eyes now when he looked into a pair of red slitted eyes. "It would not have been selfish. If I died I could have been by her side. I could have joi-"_

_He was stopped abruptly by the eruption of laughter and met a menacing smile. 'You are pathetic. A lost boy pining for death just because his lover was taken from him. Oh how sad. Get the fuck over it!' he all but screamed. 'She died, that was three years ago. She's not coming back and you are not ready to die otherwise you would have ended your life long ago! Stop mourning for pity's sake and wake up to what is in front of you. You still have you life, you can avenge her death. Find the beast that killed her, and once you become strong enough or the moment is opportune, you can have its life. You have a goal to live for!' _

_Enkai looked at the mirror image of himself not moving from the warmth. He was right. Hadn't he promised to avenge her death? Didn't he have a goal to live for? He closed his eyes. But…hadn't he found her again. _

_'That is not her…' his counterpart spoke again, voice completely emotionless. Enkai nodded his head. "Yes she is. She has been given back to me…my love ha-" 'That is not her,' he repeated again, angering Enkai. "Yes she is. They look the same. Her body is that same, her scent is the same, her eyes-" 'Are not the same.' Enkai clenched his fist and slipped a protective arm around the body below him. He knew that what 'he' said was true, but he dared not to believe it. It was true their eyes were different, but only slightly. If it had not caught her eyes, they would look identical, but when the light shown through this new girl's, he could see the cat-like iris surrounded in a dark yellow. Karei's here always a honey colored and the iris was normal. But…they could still be the same person, right? No one pays attention to image anyway. Maybe their personalities were similar. Maybe she would love him li- _

_All thought stopped. Maybe she could love him…if this really was Karei in another body, she would remember her love for him, right? That was the only way to be certain. Then he would know she was given back to him. "Karei," he whispered her name against her skin. Their "blanket" had fallen away during the night, not that he was complaining and obviously, neither was she. "Karei," he said again, this time earning a low groan in response. He had to stop his smile from spreading. Enkai lifted his head to look into the eyes he loved so much still heavy with sleep. He gently reached out a finger and traced around her neck line up to her jaw and softly across her lips. She stared at him almost dazed. "Karei…I missed you so much," he said quietly and leaned down to take her lips with his. To taste their sweetness once again._

_But she moved away._

_Why?_

_Enkai looked both confused and scared, and silently panicked. This was her…he knew it. It had to be. "Karei, d-don't you know who I am? Don't you r-remember me? Me, Enkai?" he asked, pleading and nearly cried aloud when she shook her head. "B-but…you have to, koibito," he continued, sitting up straight and pulling his lover up with him. Instinctively she grabbed onto his arms to keep from falling back. He pulled her against his body feeling the wild beat of her heart pounding against his own chest. She looked utterly confused and scared beyond all thought. His love should not be like this…what was she afraid of? Didn't she love him? Enkai tilted his head and asked in a whine, "Why are you scared of me? Don't you remember me? Don't you remember that you love me? You love me, don't you Karei?" Again his lover shook his head and he became angered. "Why? Why don't you remember? I know it's been three years, but you cant forget that quick. You can't! Everything that happened between us, YOU CAN'T JUST FORGET THAT!" He was furious now, ignoring that he was scaring his love to the point of shaking against him. He would make her remember._

_Maybe his touch would bring her back to her senses…_

_Stop this…_

Kouen was awakened by the low murmurs against her chest and an arm wrapped around her tightly, just below the bandaged mark. Her first thought, was tht it was her little sister holding onto her as she dreamt, but then she remembered, the little girl was gone…and the thought filled her with dread. But who was holding onto her? The answer came in a muffled phrase.

"K….ei," she made out the first two times and opened her mouth to reply, but found her voice lost. Who the hell was he trying to call? Kouen tried to make out another word, but a small groan escaped instead, her throat was killing her. And that was when he moved. He looked down at her with eyes half-lidded and pupils dilated showing his was still dreaming and only acting out what he "saw". The moment his finger touched her face she froze and watched him skeptically. He was really dreaming, right? "…missed you…" he had said softly and leaned down toward her for a kiss. Ok, maybe he was, but that didn't mean he could do as he pleased. She turned her head to avoid the forbidden kiss whimpering quietly in protest. She felt him shift above her and looked back at him to meet the confusion in his eyes.

"…know…who I am..?" he asked. Kouen shook her head slowly and turned to move back, but he was too heavy on top of her, rendering her immobile…and trapped. "..have to," he cried and suddenly pulled her up against him. His coat fell between them being the only means of coverage for her lower half, though she wasn't really paying attention. She didn't even realize she was shaking until more confusion came written on his face.

"…sc…ared of me?...love..me?" was all she could make out before he held her tighter, like she was his only life-line. His eyes opened a little more, but they were clouded in a silent rage. She shook violently, especially when he screamed in her face and saw the intent in his eyes.

He would force her…

Her mind raced a mile a minute as she felt his hand creep up to the neck slowly digging his short nails into it. This wasn't right. Another hand came down just below her chest and began its slow descent causing her to struggle against him harder, but was till held fast. Her nails clawed at his arms, trying anything to wake him. She forced herself to scream against her inactive throat trying to form the words, "Wake up", but they only came out as a low squeak. He looked at her curiously with a smile smirk on his lips and pushed his hand down lower onto the wrapping around her stomach. They both froze. Blue met yellow and a spark of realization ran through his eyes.

_Not her_…

He paled as he looked at her and released her. She fell back against the bed and quickly scrambled back against the headboard. She could tell he was trying to say something. His mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish, trying to find the right words, but what could he say? Some how, 'I'm sorry' didn't seem like the right thing to say, not with something like this. They sat there, staring at each other for a few minutes, one unsure of what to say to the other…but it was Kouen that broke the silence with a single gesture. She raised a hand and pointed to the door. Enkai did not need to be told twice to take the hint and stood up and walked toward the door, silently. He paused at the door and looked over his shoulder at the girl he had mistaken for his love. He still didn't feel right…he had to say something. He watched the girl stretch out again and roll over on her side taking Enkai's coat as a blanket. He sighed.

"I'm s-"

"Leave."

And he did, taking a seat against the wall outside the room. There he slept until dawn.


	3. Chapter 3: See Me

_It was deathly calm as he lay there, surrounded in a field of snow, staring at the white clouds above. He felt nothing of the bitter wind against his skin nor the harsh cold seeping into his bones. He felt nothing…and it was bliss. No pain to distract him from the beauty of the quiet abyss of white, nothing to return his mind to the real world. It was so calm and he loved it. His chest rose once and fell with a silent breath as his eyes slid shut. Peace…finally._

_"You wish to die?"_

_His eyes snapped open when he heard the voice. It was so faint but, close by. If only he could turn his head a little. An excruciating sensation shot down his spine unmercifully, causing him to gasp sharply in pain. His eyes scrunched tightly shut while his body gave an involuntary shiver. The voice gasped and he heard rushed footsteps crunching through the snow toward him then stopped with a soft 'thud' by his side. He could feel someone hovering over him closely when he felt the heat radiate from their body. He almost sighed in content. It was comforting…calming. Something warm and smooth touched the side of his face and lingered on his cheek before drifting slowly around his eyes and traveled around his face, mapping the features. "Are you ok?" the voice asked again, which was now deemed female. It would be impossible for any man to match the soothing tone, even through a disguise. The voice was too beautiful. But…had it really asked if he wished to die?_

_It was I… _

_He felt the gently caress of fine hair against his face, and guessed she had leaned further to him. He resisted opening his eyes and replied, "I…am now." His voice was still painfully shot, but it didn't stop the low chuckle from emitting when he heard the woman's light laugh. "Cute," she had said. "And what is the name of this fallen shinobi, if I may ask?" _

_This time he allowed, if not forced, his eyes to open to look upon the angel that was graciously sent to him. His lips parted a little as he stared into her eyes, at loss of words for a moment. His cold blue eyes locked onto the honey colored depths before him with just the faintest hint of red around the edges. He took the time to study her face admiring the way the thin tendrils of raven hair framed her face with the rest of the mass pulled back in a messy tie and covered with a pale wolf-shaped mask. An ANBU. Her head cocked to the side with a small smile playing on her lips and eventually pulled back in a full smile. "I will not know your name?" she somewhat pouted, causing the man to lift his hand to her face. Her smile faltered only little to a gently expression. She leaned into his hand keeping her eyes locked onto his. "May I have your name?" she asked again and brought her smaller hand up to cover his own against her cheek. It took a while for him to say anything, his mouth hadn't caught was his mind was trying to make him say until she asked for his name a third time. _

_"I'm…Enkai." And she closed her eyes and leaned further into his hand. _

"_I'm Karei…" came the soft, angelic voice of his savior. Her voice enveloped him and a blanket of warmth and put his mind at ease._

_His world faded to black and he was alone once again._

Kouen slept restlessly the remainder of the night with a mind still shaken by the events that just conspired. 'Would he have really gone so far?' she would ask herself over and over again, and the more she asked herself, the more she feared the answer. The look in his eyes stayed with her and stared back at her every time she closed her eyes. It was the only she feared. A look that spoke of untamed desire and a bottomless lust, begging…dying to be fulfilled. A look that held no comfort to the beholder, only the promise of a pleasured time whether it was called for or not. A look of the uncaring wanting its need satisfied. A shiver coursed down her spine. The only thing she truly feared, because behind the blind lust that consumed his eyes, she saw another sight that chilled her to the bone. An emotion that was not meant, nor given to her, but forced because she was mistaken for another.

_Don't you love me?_

The girl shivered again and pulled her knees up to her chest finding that the stitches had held up decently, though still uncomfortable. With a rough shake of her head and a display of raven and silver flying around her, Kouen stretched out once again with a heavy, waking yawn. She winced when the stitches on her leg were pulled too hard when she stretched her calf and it tensed on reflex. She swung said leg slowly over the edge of the bed accompanied by the other and a light huff. Her body was too stiff for her own good hindering her movements too much for her liking, but at that thought, something else came to mind. She needed a damn shower. Just because she was naked, bandaged, and nearly dead didn't mean she should smell like a corpse. This thought brought a small smile to her face. She still had a sense of humor and was damn proud of it.

The Kagenori carefully found her footing and began to rise slowly from the bedside, holding onto the edges for support until she was standing on her own. The frail legs nearly buckled under her weight and a small whimper of pain passed her lips, but she bit them to silence herself. She was too determined to quit now. Taking slow steps, she crossed the room, (which she found larger than she remembers) and entered into the adjoining bathroom, happy to see it was still clean. She almost rushed over, but again took her time until she was next to the large bathtub and turned on the faucet. 'Damn it's been too long…'

Enkai jerked up at the sound of running water, whipping his head around to find the source of the direction. He let out a breath when he realized it was coming from Kouen's room. How could he have forgotten…but then, as he thought of the girl, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. The events of the prior night surged through his mind like raging rapids slamming throughout the corners of his mind. How could he have let that happened? How could he have slipped so far? Enkai pulled up knees closer to his chest and rest his head on top of them while letting his fingers play with a speck of fuzz on his pants. 'I'm losing it…' he thought to himself, and received a chuckle in response.

_'Yes…I think you have. The way you stared at that body…'_

_"Do you have nothing better to do than torture me, you sadistic bastard?" he growled in annoyance. _

_'But I thought you liked it when we talked?' The voice feigned hurt and clutched the place where his heart was supposed to be. His mirror image took a seat next to him and wrapped an arm over his shoulders. Enkai gratefully leaned against him, but was still annoyed. His duplicate could do nothing but drive him further and further beyond sanity. Or was it his own fault?_

_Again the man laughed lightly but was cut off before he could speak, "Hayase…why do you vex me so? Can you just leave me alone?" Enkai all but whined. Hayase shook his head and gently rocked the man by his shoulders with the same neutral smile on his face. 'And miss the sight of you racked with guilt and on the verge of falling into that deep, endless abyss of loneliness? Hell no. I love you too much for that,' and the smile only grew brighter making Enkai shiver. "Thanks," he said deadpanned. "You're a **great** help." Hayase clicked his tongue ignoring the sarcasm. 'I do what I can, nii-kun,' he stated proudly, but then he mood turned darker. His eyes in turn converted to a dark crimson, resembling the two identical pools of blood._

_Enkai looked away, but caught the attention of his "brother"._

_Hayase moved his arm a little, allowing for his hand to drop down over Enkai's shoulder and tipped the man's head to face him with the tip of his index finger. 'Do my eyes bother you, nii? They make you remember, don't they?' He received no answer. Hayase sighed and sat up a little straighter removing his arm from around the man but only to tug his arm. _

_Enkai took the hint. _

_Ever since the loss of his lover, and his mind slipped into darkness, Enkai had long forgotten the feel of another, to share the warmth of another's presence. He was alone and closed off from the world with nothing to do, but sulk and grieve for countless days. It became an endless cycle of lying in self-pity, only moving to find a better way to die and continue to grieve. _

_But strangely, during the course of time, something happened. Something he never thought could be conceived within his mind.. He was warm again. And that was how Hayase was "born". His longing, his deep inner cry for what was lost threw him into, and brought him back to sanity with a new conscious to show for it. _

_Hayase was neither alive nor dead, he simply existed. A thought conceived and made real but only in the mind of the beholder, yet he was not imaginary in any sense. He was "real". Everything he did was real, every sound, every touch, even his scent was his own unique marking that no other could share. Even the heat emitted from his body was real, and Enkai was more than grateful for it. What they shared was not a relationship as seen between two lovers or two siblings. It simply was "there". One mind seeing the thoughts of another and acting on it as though it didn't exist, but in the deeper reaches that only a mind such as theirs could conceive, it was real. _

_And this is why Enkai found himself lying with his head in the 'imaginary' man's lap, staring at the decaying ceiling in a calm of sorts. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes listening to his 'twin's' voice. _

"_You cant rely on me all the time," he began and saw the man's nose wrinkle in distaste, but continued on even as he saw Enkai's mouth open in protest. "And yes I know….I started this one, but you needed it. You are hurt…and if you are, I am hurt as well." _

_Enkai remained silent. _

"_I know….that you wish it to be her, but you have to understand…that Karei is gone. She has left this world and traveled to a place where we cannot follow, you must remember his Enkai…for your sake…and my own…and for the girl's."_

_At the mention of the girl, his eyes opened slowly, focusing on the dark fabric of Hayase's cloak. _

"_The….girl?" he asked quietly and unsure of whether his ears deceived him. Hayase nodded. _

"_Yes. The more you try and make the girl into Karei, the more you will be hurting yourself and her. She is not your lover…and she will not be," Hayase said sternly and looked down at his embodied companion. Enkai shuddered from the truth of his words. He knew they were not the same…and knew they would never be. _

"_But…her eyes…when I looked into her eyes, I saw Karei. The eyes never lie, Hayase….it has to be her," he said and gazed upward to Hayase. The man looked far from pleased at Enkai's ignorance and denial to this crucial matter. His mouth opened to speak, but it shut suddenly as both inhabitants' eyes widened slightly and their ears became acute to a foreign noise approaching the door. _

Enkai sat up abruptly from his space on the ground staring down the narrow hallway to the front door. His eyes narrowed and his ears became attuned for any unfamiliar sounds. Unfortunately, an entire conversation was being held outside, and from the sound of it dozens, if not hundreds of pissed off villagers were attempting to break in.

"That monster of a woman…"

"….hell-sent creature…"

"….that bitch should die for what she did…."

"Yea…make her pay for what that worthless kid did."

"A child no less…."

"….brought the whole damn family to shame…."

Several murmured voices became mixed together just as something ran against the door causing it to shake and shed pieces of decaying wood. Enkai looked around the door frame and saw that it too was rotting. It would cave in, if given the right amount of force.

He couldn't waste any time. In a flash of black and grey, he was at the door to greet the mob just as the door splintered and came down.

Kouen too could hear the angry rants of the villagers, but not from the front of the house. By the window in the bathroom she watched their shadows walk by with a mix of distaste and disinterest even though this was a serious matter. The Kagenori sighed softly and surfaced a hand from under the bloodied water, watching the rivets of pale red spill from her palm to trickle back into the water which submerged her completely.

A monster, they had called her. Never before had a word been directed toward her, and it struck her to the very core. 'I am not….a monster,' she thought only to herself and slipped further under the water until the coppery liquid reached above her nose. 'It was an accident. Why…why must they think otherwise….it was their own fault.' An image of her sister, lying under her with the pink flesh of her throat exposed to the open air flashed across her mind. The young woman nearly choked on the bitter water, but remained under. "Why?"

_…not your fault…but it is…._

A shadow outside her window stopped. The movement caught the corner of her eye and she turned to meet a pair of cold brown eyes. "I found her!!"

Kouen closed her eyes and sunk fully under the water, yet as she did her hands came together in a whirl of seals and then stayed idle. She could hear the sound of glass breaking followed by the heavy crunch of covered feet upon the fragile surface. She almost smiled.

Almost.

And to her luck, a shard of glass floated down into her outstretched hand.

"Get up bitch!" came a loud voice above her. Slowly she opened her eyes underwater and complied, surfacing, drenched in her color of blood. A small group of six people stared at her appalled and in horror. If there was a word to describe both the beautiful and horrendous scene before them it was certain it would have been said. A small smile worked it's way onto her face, only adding to the devilish scene. The image of her blood soaked in blood not only reminded them what their purpose was for invading her home, but also of the danger that would be upon them if she was left to live.

They ran at her head on.

All movement suddenly came to a stop as all eye widened except for a pair of bored, half-lidded orbs, and the white, vacant, shining eyes of the creature now grasping the man's detached arm in its jaws. The man's body had not registered that a limb was missing, even as he stared at the severed piece, but his yes were drawn to the creature, rather than it. A few seconds passed and his mind remembered and he fell limp to the floor, having lost quart after quart of blood from standing idle.

He died instantly.

The arm was then swallowed whole by the creature leaning over both Kouen and the side of the tub. His milk white eyes stared at his next victims hungrily, even as he devoured the arm greedily and wet his lips with the blood from his tongue. He swallowed his meal and pulled the rest of his body out from the water. His scaled lips pulled back in a feral smile, flaunting the many rows of jagged and razor sharp teeth. He chuckled softly and drug his tail across the ground to curl behind him.

"Hi."

The remaining five men exited the bathroom with a massive alligator hot on their heels and left a pale, smirking "monster" behind. Minding her wounds, Kouen stepped out of the literal bloodbath and made another seal and raised a hand above her head. A thin sheet of rain fell around her, rinsing the drying blood from her body and leaving her feeling much cleaner than before. She hated the feel of blood, especially the kind that wasn't hers. But…it was the consequence of being deemed a monster. She would learn to live with blood.

With a heavy limp she entered the bedroom once again while skillfully blocking out the sounds of a battle proceeding outside the room. This came from years of practice of dealing with rowdy and obnoxious siblings, while trying to accomplish the simplest of tasks. Like reading. Kouen closed her eyes and shook her head with a smirk on her lips when she found herself unable to block out the noise. Enkai was causing too much of a ruckus, but in a way it was good for her. It just meant she had more time to prepare. A body came flying toward her which she easily sidestepped and watched it pummel into the ground. The slab of none living flesh was just that, a slab. It had no parts to speak of, just a "body" savagely bitten into with strips of flesh hanging loosely over the corpse. The demon's handy work, no doubt. 'I'll have to give him something later,' she noted to herself and walked over the corpse to the closet. She grabbed the double doors and pulled them open simultaneously revealing her own personal arsenal of attire as well as ever sized blade imaginable. Ignoring the scythes, the mace, the halberds, long blades, tantos, katana, and spiraled blades, the Kagenori reached inside to take a special pair of blades. They were covered in a extravagant scabbard, decorated in the pattern of yellow lightning over a black base with the image of a dragon coiling around it with the same jagged pattern as the lightning. Kouen smiled inwardly. They were a gift from her siblings. A present for when she reached 18 years, but she never sought a reason to use them. But now, she had a reason, and a damn good one.

She kissed the hilt of each tanto then tossed them lightly on the bed, noting that they were light enough not to making a sound nor dip the surface of the bed. Yes, they would come in handy.

Now, to the task at hand.

What was she going to wear?

They fell into a rhythmic dance, repeating the same move over again.

Left.

Duck, hit.

Right, duck again, aim for the vital.

Dodge, left, and left again.

Enkai was growing bored with this senseless ballad. It was going nowhere, only damaging the house to a condition far worse than what it already was. Lucky for him, he wasn't the owner, otherwise he would have raised hell.

Another man ran toward him with eyes blazing with murderous intent, but of course, he was as bright as a wet match and was easy to take care of. Unfortunately-or fortunately-it wasn't Enkai that made the kill.

His blade was stopped by the sharp clanking of metal against a hard surface. Scales to be exact. The man almost gawked at the monstrous beast before him. The beast was at least 10 feet in length and barely fit through the narrow hall. Its scales reflected a light shimmer of blue with a single silver stripe running down its back to the tip of his tail. The head was raised clutching, the enemy's arm between a set of dangerously sharp teeth, each accented with smaller fangs much like a shark's. The light blue scales were stained here and there with red and a few triangular disks were missing in places, especially from its tail. The alligator bite down sharply, severing the man's arm and pulled the bloody limb along with the man into his mouth with an audible snap. Its lips pulled back once again in a feral smile, a pair of pale white orbs met an amused and shocked pair of blue. And then it spoke.

"What the hell are you looking at?" it asked rudely.

Enkai's jaw dropped. "You….you talk." It talked….how?

The alligator rolled his eyes. "Yes dumbass…I talk. You've never seen a summoned best before?"

"Wha-" Enkai was cut off by another person running toward him and raised his katana to lay waste to this attacker as well, but something charged passed him in a flurry of black and blue cloth and seemed to "fly" out the non-existent door. His back hit the wall from the tremendous force allowing for the rampaging idiot to miss him and land in the awaiting alligator's jaws.

Said beast began laughing. "She cant wait!" he exclaimed and pushed past the winded Enkai and crawled to the outside.

"She?" Enkai asked himself when he was sure he was alone. That thing that came past him…that was Kouen? He shook his head. Not a chance in hell. Her injuries alone should have hindered her movements if not the stitches. Maybe there was something he didn't know about her yet. Yes…maybe that was it.

The sound of a man's battle cry abruptly silenced caught Enkai's attention, snapping him from his thoughts, then he too charged out the house only to set into the very midst of a one-sided battle. His mouth was agape as he watched the scene unfold, unable to move.

The once snow-touched ground was covered in a heavy sheet of ice concealing the struggling bodies underneath, scarping against the glass-like surface, trying fruitlessly to breathe. Many floated in the mass immobile with wide, frozen eyes staring into the clouded sky. The sky. It was ablaze in a spectacular display of color, most of which Enkai had never known to be created by man. Each bolt which streaked across the sky was fueled by a steady stream of chakra that radiated from a source below. The source being the form of a young woman surrounded by charred corpses and poised to continue her onslaught. He hadn't been gone that long…Enkai told himself. At least 2 minutes at the most. Had so much destruction been caused in that little amount of time? Before his mind could conceive an answer, the Kagenori moved again toward her next victim.

Much to her surprise and Enkai's, this challenger was no push over. Both man and woman clashed swords together in a display of sheer power. The force caused the ground the splinter and crack below them, but neither paid any heed. Kouen released her hold on one of the tantos and let it fall to the ground, but as it did a brilliant stream of light struck the ground where the sword lay and forked off toward the man and woman. The man was thrown back and skid against the ground to stop himself while Kouen stayed still. She looked unaffected, the only sign that she too had been struck was the faint steam radiating from her body. A fanged smile adorned her face. Enkai felt a shiver run down his spine. His eyes never left her face. Silver streams covered her eyes as her head dipped down and tilted to the side, the smile only widened. The second sword fell from her hands and she staggered forward just as the man regained his footing and shot up and ran toward her at full speed. She continued to walk slowly as the distance between them closed, the same smile on her face that was once seen on the summoned beast, but this one held no lust…no emotion….it was beyond feral in nature. There was no name for it.

It was her own smile.

A sound of flesh connecting with flesh echoed through the graveyard. Kouen's body swayed off a little and her upper body lowered even more. A shaking hand reached up to touch the reddened flesh of her jaw. Her head raised slightly to meet the eyes of the man still poised in his after swing. He aura was blazing with anger, his teeth gritted hard in anger, and heavy pants turned to labored grunts of exhaustion. Then suddenly there was silence.

Not a breath stirred. Not even the wind dared to breathe. The arm dropped to his side lifelessly and small rivets flowed down his fingers. The body jerked again….and again…and again, until it was immobile once more.

"Goodbye…" came the sweet, whispered voice of the murder.

A tear ran down her face as she stared into the dull eyes of the dead. Her hand reached out to touch the spear of ice lodged throw the man's chest, its point staring between her eyes, not a centimeter away. The sky had settled once again, having lost its continuous source of power. The sun broke through the clouds once again.

Enkai was speechless, having witnessed a true killer at her best…or was it? He had just met this girl and knew nothing of her, but for the first time as he watched her, he felt fearful.

Kouen didn't move, even with the sound of her name. She stared at the ground with shallow breath and an arm clutched tightly to her chest. Her eyes shut tight in concentration….or was it pain? It couldn't be told. It only took a second before Enkai concluded it was from pain and ran toward her continuing to call her name. Blood poured from the reopened wound on her abdomen and she cried silently in pain. She didn't know she had fallen until the feeling of strong arms enveloped her and pulled her against an equally broad chest. Someone was calling her.

"Kouen!..."

_Why were they so loud? _ She winced and scrunched her eyes shut tighter.

"….please…don't die…"

_But I want to….I have nothing to live for. They are there….I want to go to them…._

"…not again…"

_"Again?" I've done this before?_

"..Karei…please…don't leave me again…"

_Something wet landed on her cheek. Her subconscious rolled her eyes. This again…can't I die in peace? "I'm not her…" the words passed her lips without her knowing. _

The arms tightened around her forcing another wince from the body near death. "I…I know you aren't her, but please…you cant die. Don't give up. I'll take care you again if I must. Just do-"

"Shut…up," she breathed harshly and opened a single eye to half mast. Kouen mustered the rest of her strength to speak. _If I die…I'll leave this word as Kagenori Kouen…not some bitch this idiot mistakes me for._

Said idiot looked down at her, startled. "I…" he started again, but was once again interrupted.

"For the…l-last time…I'm not her. I am no…ot your lover. I never will be. Get that through your head. I am not K..Karei…I do not know you…nor do I wish to…" she caught the hurt look in his eyes but continued. "I will never be your lover…I will never be her…and a…as I die….I am NOT her." Her breathing calmed down a little as her body relaxed and closed her eyes.

Subconsciously, she nestled against his chest, burying her nose into the warmth he emitted. Enkai looked down at her with hurt eyes, but softened when he felt her move closer to him. The previous night's events filled his mind, but found this to be a dramatic reversal. But his small smile waned when he thought of its ending. He had mistaken her then too, just as he did now. Shame filled him to the core and he hung his head.

He was selfish.

He could admit that.

All he wanted was to find his love, but instead he was forcing onto an innocent girl an identity that wasn't her own. Guilty ran alongside shame as he thought of his only reason for keeping her alive; to replace Karei. But if she ever knew, she would spite him even kill him if she wanted. And he would willingly accept the punishment. He deserved it. But…what if there was another reason for her to live? A reason that held no trace of Karei's memory? Could he do something like that? It would be difficult, this he knew, but perhaps…

"Kouen," he whispered her name and watched her stir awake. The look in her eye told him he had her attention. "I will make a deal with you." Enkai swallowed. "You are right….you are not Karei, and it was wrong of me to force her memory onto you….but…I want to give you something to live for. It's a promise I will make to you…and it is one that I made to myself that I wish to share with you. I want to see…what this world has in store for me since I was not meant to leave this place, and you are not meant to leave either. That's why I think I'm here…to stop you from succeeding from where I failed. Let's find our reason for why we were meant to stay here and make our own way out of this. We can leave this place and start new, you and me. I would not ask this if I didn't think it were possible, but I know it is." Enkai smiled softly as he watched her eyes widened a little, the drop back down again.

She looked in thought.

"We can restart in any place you see fit, you and me. I will follow you to any place you choose, no matter where it is. I will make you this promise, to never leave your side….as long as you stay with me." The bronze eye looked around to him again followed quietly by the words, "…not her," and he only smiled.

"I know. And you have my word…I will never mistake you for her again. It's time that I realize she has left this world and must fine a means to live in it without her. She was my everything, and I can never forget that, but if it means surfacing another's pain then she will only live in my memory and I shall look for her no further. You are unique Kouen….you are not Karei…and it's time I remember that. So I ask you….will you except my offer? Will you start anew with me and see what this world has to offer us?" He held her closer and stared deeply into her eyes, taking her own form of perception and reading through her eyes. They brimmed with tears and were shook loose by a slow nod. "..hai." And the faintest of smiles adorned her face as her eyes closed once again. If Enkai had moved at the moment, the gentle rustle of their clothes would have been too loud and covered the question that floated to his ears.

"Why?"

He held the soft smile and gently pushed the hair aside that covered the girl's face as he leaned down over her and placed his lips close to her ear. And then he said, just as quiet as the question….

"Something so beautiful is not meant to die."


End file.
